Safety device for cable cars



(No Model.)

A. VAN WAGENBN & L. GODDU. VSAFETY DEVICE EOE CABLE GEES.

Patented May 1.8, 1886.

@Ilif- UNITED STATES i PATENT OEEIcEo ALBERT VAN VAGENEN, OF BOSTON, AND LOUIS GODDU, OF VINCHESTEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS `TO THE GODDU IMPROVEMENT COMPANY,

OE PORTLAND, MAINE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CABLE CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,273, dated May 18,1886.

Application filed January 2, 1886. Serial No. 187,374. (No model.) d

.To @ZZ whom it may concern.- y

Be it known that we, ALBERT VAN VAG- ENEN, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, and LoUIs GODDU, of Winchester, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Safety Devices for Cable Railways, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a safety device for cable railways, and is designed to be operated and controlled by the driver operating the usual gripping device from within the car.

Our invention is especially designed to be used when the ordinary gripping device conimon to cable roads fails to perform its duty, thesaid invention being more especially adapted to be employed on ascending or descending grades.

Gable railways as now constructed are wanting in reliable means to stop the car in case of accident to the gripping device; and the object o1" this invention is to Vfurnish means whereby the cars may be immediately stopped in case of accident to the gripping devices, or for other causes.

Our invention consists of a rod or bar, as will 0 be described, secured to the road-bed, com- Fig. 2, looking toward the right; Fig. 2, a seetional view of Fig. l in line a' x,looking toward the right, showing the road-bed and the tunnel below the same in which the cable runs,A the gripping device being broken off; and Fi g.

3, a detail to be referred to.

The passengencar A, of any usual construction and of the kind commonly employed on cable railways, and in which the engineer or driver is stationed, has preferably mounted ou one of its axles, as a, and preferably near the 5o center of the same, a semi-cylindrical hub, e, secured to said` axle by caps e, one at each end of said hub, said caps being secured to said hub by screws e. The semi-eylindrieal hub c has secured to it near its ends a yoke, n", having an attached lever, a, said yoke being herein shown as cast integral with said hub. The yoke c" of the said lever forms bearings for an arbor, b, said arbor having monntednpon it a toothed wheel or gear, b. 6o

The toothed wheel b isherein shown as adapted to have its teeth enter slots b2 in a preferably ilat rail, b, said rail forming one kind of a rack, being secured to the road-bed, and

preferably between the rails upon which the ear-wheels revolve. The toothed wheel b is adapted to be lifted ont of engagement with the slots Zr in the rail b3 by moving the lever e from its full into its dotted line position,

Fig. 1, the said lever having pivoted to it, near 7C the handle c, a nsnal spring-pressed latch, c', adapted to enter a niche in a bar, ci, secured to uprights c, said latch serving to lock the lever in the position desired. XVhcn the car is running npon a level portion of the roadbed, the toothed wheel b may or may not, as desired, be lifted out of engagement with the slotted rail b,- but when either ascending or descending a grade in said roadbed said wheel will be kept in engagement with said rail by 8o moving the lever e into its full-line position. \Vhen the ear, moving in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. l, is ascending a steep grade in the road-bed, the pawl d, pivoted on an arbor supported by the yoke at, will slip the teeth of the wheel b',"bnt if for a reason, such as accident to the device c, which grips the cable c', (see Fig. 2,) the car starts backward-that is, in the direction indicated by arrow 3-the pawl d will engagea tooth of the gc wheel b, thus effcctually stopping the car. If an accident to the gripping device referred to should happen while the car was descending a grade, the rotation of the wheel b', and there- Ytunnel below, thereby preventing said slots by the motion of the oar, would be stopped by means of a brakeshoe, cl2, pivoted to a link, d", said link being pivoted to a lever, (Z5, in turn pivoted at (ZG on the yoke a", said brakeshoe being made to preferablyliug the toothed Wheel b by moving the lever di from the dotted to the full line position shown in Fig. l, the back of said brake-shoe bearing npon the semi-Cylindrical hub a. I

Instead of ai'lat rail having slots,\ve may enlploy a rack-bar having teeth; but we prefer the construction shown, as the slots permit dirt, snow, rubbish, &e., to fall through into the from becoming illed, which would prevent the teeth of the wheel from engaging said slots.

Instead of employing a single slotted rail or bar in the center of the road-bed, one or both rails may have their Aflat portion slotted and the toothed wheel arranged substantially in line with the car-Wheel to engage said slots.

Instead of having the brake-shoe bear upon the toothed wheel b, it may be so placed as to engage a flange on the hub ofthe toothed Wheel.

l. In a Cable railway, a rail or bar, substantially'as described, secured to the road-bed, combined with a toothed Wheel to engage said rail or bar and with a pawl and a brakeshoe to stop the motion of the ear, substantially as set forth.

2. The yoke a, having an attached lever, the toothed Wheel b', and the pawl to engage it, combined with the lever d", link d, and brake-shoe secured to said link, Vsubstantially as described. i

In testimony whereof We have signed our naines to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT 'VAN VAGENEN. LOUIS GODDU.

Vitn esses:

J. H. CHURCHILL, C. M. Conn. 

